Led by Dennis Franklin Cromarty high school and the community, and facilitated by Northwest region PSSP staff, the group set out to improve the gaps in the mental health and substance use system for First Nations students in Thunder Bay.

The first step was to build a foundation of trust with the high school, and between the school and local service providers. The idea behind this approach was to build a solid foundation on which meaningful collaboration and work could take place.

Part of the service collaborative process was to identify an evidence-based intervention to address the challenges at DFC. The collaborative identified a model—Fostering School, Family, and Community Involvement: Effectiveness Strategies for Creating Safer Schools and Communities—developed by Drs. Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor, from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

The UCLA model takes a three-pillared approach designed to improve the school system by developing a comprehensive system of learning, focused on improving instruction and curriculum, school governance, and student success. Although the UCLA model was more broadly designed to improve an entire school district, the collaborative attempted to adopt and adapt the model by focusing on two core principles:

• Crisis/emergency assistance and prevention
• Support for transitions

Choosing these elements from the broader model enabled the collaborative to address the priority issues faced by DFC. These elements created a starting point for the collaborative, which developed and implemented the following strategies:

• A transition video was developed to prepare students from remote fly-in communities for life in Thunder Bay and at DFC.
  The video was produced by school staff, students, and Confederation College Broadcasting students.
• The SC helped re-imagine DFC’s The Amazing Race activity. Taking its name from the TV show, the Amazing Race is an adventure-based scavenger hunt aimed at helping students familiarize themselves with the City of Thunder Bay and the services available to them. The collaborative helped increase the number of services involved—from sectors that included health care, mental health and addictions, education, recreation, leisure services, and transit—while promoting teamwork.
• Crisis trainings were offered to DFC staff, which included ‘safeTalk’, ‘ASIST’, and Mental Health First Aid to provide basic information on suicide, mental illness, and support strategies. Additionally, two staff became trainers for Non-violent Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training.
• Three distinct Crisis Protocols were designed to support and guide staff in the event of a school crisis.

• Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, Thunder Bay
• CAMH PSSP
• Thunder Bay Service Collaborative
• Dilico Anishinabek Family Care
• Broadcasting Students at Confederation College

The Northwest PSSP team will stay connected with the DFC staff and students for updates and information sharing, and remain available for continued follow-up and support, if necessary.